Airlines

WESTJET, THOMAS COOK PARTNER

WestJet recently announced that it has once again leased two Boeing 757-200 aircraft from Thomas Cook Airlines to deliver non-stop, daytime services between Alberta and the islands of Aloha. The aircraft will operate on routes between Calgary and Honolulu, Calgary and Maui and between Edmonton and Maui. Pending Canadian Transportation Agency regulatory approval, the flights are scheduled to start on Dec. 13 and continue through to April 26, 2014. The Calgary-Honolulu flights will operate twice weekly; Calgary-Maui will be four times weekly and Edmonton-Maui will fly three times per...

DEAL DONE, STRIKE AVERTED

The Vancouver Airport Authority and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) have reached a tentative deal that is fair and equitable for both parties. The PSAC Local 20221 represents employees working at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) that provide emergency services, finance and administrative services. The PSAC will need to present the tentative agreement to their membership and employees will need to vote on the adoption of the agreement as presented. The period of union member review and voting will have no impact on airport operations. Vancouver International Airport will...

CTA RULINGS INCREASE PASSENGER RIGHTS

In two separate decisions released yesterday (Aug 29), the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) ordered Air Canada and Porter Airlines to revise certain domestic tariff provisions. A tariff is the contract between the carrier and the passenger which contains an air carrier’s terms and conditions of carriage. Tariff provisions are enforceable by the Agency. “Passengers have a fundamental right to be informed about schedule changes that affect their itinerary and ability to travel and to be compensated or refunded in a reasonable fashion,” said Geoff Hare, chair and CEO of the Agency....

AIR NEW ZEALAND PROFITS SOAR

Air New Zealand has reported earnings before taxation of $256 million for the 2013 financial year, an increase of 172% on the previous year and the company’s best result in five years. The net profit after taxation was $182 million, which is $111 million or 156% up on the previous year. Operating cash flow was the highest ever at $750 million, and the company reported cash holdings of $1.15 billion. Gearing improved seven percentage points to 39.1%, a record low for the airline. A fully imputed final dividend of five cents per share has been declared, taking the total dividend for the year...

WESTJET TO PURCHASE 65 BOEING 737 MAX AIRCRAFT

WestJet has entered into a letter of intent to purchase 65 737 MAX aircraft from Boeing, consisting of 40 737 MAX 8 and 25 737 MAX 7 aircraft, with delivery scheduled to begin in September 2017. “We are proud to continue our long-standing relationship with Boeing and are thrilled that we will be among the first North American airlines to fly the new 737 MAX in its first year of commercial operation. This pending order reinforces our strategy of maintaining the flexibility in our fleet plan while enabling us to introduce new fuel-efficient technology and enhance our inflight guest...

LUFTHANSA MARKS 25 YEARS OF FEMALE PILOTS

Lufthansa is celebrating 25 years of having female pilots on its aircraft. “I’m not a trailblazer, simply a woman just loving her job,” says Airline Captain Evi Hetzmannseder on her profession as an airline pilot. All the same, it was a shock when she and fellow female pilot Nicola Lisy began flying scheduled flights for Lufthansa on Aug. 23, 1988. They had previously completed two successful years of training as commercial pilots in Bremen and Phoenix, Arizona. Many other women have followed in their path since those pioneering days. Today, around 300 woman pilots work for Lufthansa: A...

TALKS SCHEDULED, BUT YVR STRIKE POSSIBLE

Vancouver International Airport could face strike action over the Labour Day weekend after the union representing 300 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada/Union of Canadian Transportation Employees Local 20221 served the necessary 72 hour strike notice to the airport. The PSAC/UCTE employees are directly employed by the Vancouver Airport Authority and provide services that include emergency response, international arrivals customer care, runway maintenance, airfield & approach lighting, passenger loading operations, maintenance and administrative services at the airport. Bob...